My Portion

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)   
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

I posted the cartoon below Sunday night about running Monday is coming because it was cute and I really wasn't looking forward to getting up at 5:00 am. Nothing about the weekend had gone as I'd planned and I just wasn't really ready to move forward with the week. Little did I know what Monday was going to bring, fortunately God did, and He already has a plan in place to deal not only take care of it but to take care of it to our benefit.  “plans to prosper you and not to harm you"

My husband got laid off from his job of 10 years yesterday morning. We had no inkling this was coming. All of our health insurance is through his work, and all three of us have pre-existing conditions that require several prescription medicines each month. Our monthly co-pay for our meds is hefty. Without insurance? Lets just say astronomical is not an over statement. Then there's the mortgage, the electricity, the groceries, and all the other bills that have to be paid. Cliff has been the primary wage earner at our house for a long time. How on earth is this going to work?

My devotional reading yesterday morning was titled "God is my Portion" with the key scripture being Exodus 16:8 which is: Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” the author talked about when God gave the children of Israel manna from Heaven, He just gave them enough for one day, if they gathered more it would rot. God was teaching them to depend on Him, that they couldn't do it on their own. She encouraged me to turn to God when there is a problem, and pray. To tell the Father what's bothering me and that I don't have the strength needed to overcome up but ask Him to be my portion, ask Him to give me His strength to overcome whatever it is. The Bible is full of promises that He'll do just that, that with God, all things are possible. 

As I woke up this morning an hour before my alarm went off, I had plenty of time to put this in practice. For every worrisome thought Satan put in my head about how on earth we were going deal with everything we're going to have to deal with in the next weeks and months to come I prayed about it and asked God to take care of it, to show us what He would have us to do, I was immediately calmed He knows what's out there, He knows what's coming and He already has a plan, a plan to prosper us and not harm us.

He also brought to mind many biblical examples of His people that looked at how big their problems were and not how BIG our God is and got in trouble. The Israelites sent spys into the Promised Land and when the majority of them came back saying the inhabitants were too big and too numerous they could never triumph against them, they ended up wandering in the desert for 40 years. When Peter took his eyes off the Lord as he walked on the water toward Him, Peter sank like a stone.

So I choose to remember and concentrate on how very big God is, how very much He loves me and my family and trust Him to take care of us. He has already proved how much He loves us He sent his Son, so we could have eternal life and spend it with Him. Jesus overcame death. With God on our side, leading our way, holding our hand, directing our path we can over come unemployment, insurance issues, and whatever comes our way. 

I expect I'll spend quite a lot of time in the next few days and weeks to come blasting Casting Crown's song The Voice of Truth. Please look it up play it, there are several videos available of it on You Tube. I believe it will really speak to you. If I can figure out how to put a link to it in the blog I will. 

We should always remember this, but it is even more important when it appears that everything is out of control and totally overwhelming, God is in control and for God nothing is too big, nothing is too overwhelming, nothing is impossible and as His children He has given us access to that incredible power, we just have to ask Him and trust Him.